Plus-One
by Irrepressable
Summary: Clara Oswald is very happy with her boyfriend of two years, John Smith. One day, her father tells her that in four months, he is getting married to a woman named Linda. Most wedding preparations are dramatic. In addition to dealing with Linda's drama, Clara is unaware of a little surprise that will change her and John's relationship forever. Third story in the Blind Date series
1. Chapter 1: The Trouble Begins

_Hello, readers. I've been having trouble lately with some writer's block. I know where I want to go, but I don't know how to get there. It's hard. In the meantime, I'll try to get my creative juices flowing by working on a third part in the Blind Date series. I hope that you'll like it, as I've been brainstorming it and I think that it's interesting._

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Chapter 1: The Trouble Begins

John Smith was happy with his life. He had a good job, good friends, and a wonderful girlfriend. He and his girlfriend, Clara Oswald, had been dating for nearly two years and he had moved in with her about four months ago. To his surprise and delight, his dainty Munchkin, Little Missy the Amazing Sausage Cat, got along very well with Simon, Clara's enormous Siamese-Maine Coon mix. There was no risk of kittens because Missy was already spayed and Simon was already neutered. There was one problem, though: John hadn't met Clara's family. She wasn't ashamed of him. She had told him as much, and he most certainly believed her. It was just that they hadn't gotten around to doing it. It would happen eventually, John thought. He had just gotten home from work and he was looking forward to spending time with his girlfriend. He could hear her from another room, talking loudly on the phone. John hung up his coat on the coatrack and headed into the kitchen. Clara's back was facing him. He then had an idea. A wicked smirk appeared on his face as he slowly crept up behind her. She wasn't even aware that he was there. Once he was behind her, he leaned down and kissed her neck, surprising her. She let out a soft 'yeep!' He then whispered in her ear, "Hello, darling."

He then began to kiss her neck again. Clara let out a soft moan. She then started and let out a fake laugh before speaking hastily into the phone. "Oh, that? I was just cracking my neck." She let out another fake laugh. "Stiff neck. Long day, you know?"

Still feeling extremely mischievous, John then brought his tongue into the game and laved it down Clara's neck. She let out a muffled squeak, trying to hold back a moan. She was trying to pay attention to the phone. "Oh, same as usual. A student Rickrolled their presentation- AH! Sorry! Neck again!"

John continued his ministrations and Clara tried not to succumb to them while on the phone. A moan, this time louder, slipped through her lips. She let out a sigh before mumbling into the phone, "What was that? Neck?" Her eyes widened as she said, "Um, yeah! My neck! You're right. I should probably take a paracetamol and go lie down. I'll talk to you later."

Clara then hung up the phone and sighed, "Damn it, John, did you really have to do that while I was on the phone?"

John chuckled and said, "I didn't hear any complaints."

"Yes, well, as much as I enjoyed it, I really didn't want _my dad_ to hear me moaning like a tart while I was on the phone with him." Clara replied.

"Oh, that was your dad?" John straightened up. "What was he calling about?"

"He wants us to meet him at a cafe in a couple hours." Clara replied. "I hope that's not a problem."

"No, we were going to meet eventually." John said with a shrug. "I didn't have any plans."

"Me, neither." Clara admitted. "I'm not sure what I should do until then."

John gave his girlfriend a sultry smirk and said, "I can think of something that we can do."

Clara rolled her eyes and said, "Really, John?"

"It's a good way to reduce stress." John pointed out.

Clara thought about it for a second before replying, "Okay, but you're going to have to use a condom. I'm switching to a different kind of birth control and I don't want to take any chances."

As Clara began to unbutton John's shirt, the doctor said, "Don't worry. I'll be a perfect gentleman."

The teacher grinned up at her boyfriend and, in a mock-threatening tone, said, "Don't you even dare." before pulling him down for a kiss.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

John nervously adjusted his necktie as he walked into the cafe with his girlfriend. Clara looked up at him with a smile and said, "John, it's going to be fine."

"He's going to judge me." John said. "He's going to make a scene because I'm his age."

Clara let out a sigh and reached up to adjust her boyfriend's necktie so it was perfect. "John," she said, "you didn't wear your plaid trousers or your hoodie this time. This shirt doesn't have holes in it. You're making a sincere effort to look more presentable for my dad. He is _not_ going to judge you and he isn't going to make a scene."

"Are you sure that he won't make a scene?" John asked.

"Absolutely." Clara replied, "Now, let's go in there and impress my dad."

John smirked and said, "You're the boss."

The duo was told where Clara's father would be sitting before heading in. They were met with a man who, to no surprise, looked to be about John's age. "Clara!" the man said happily before reaching out to hug her.

Clara returned the hug and said, "Hello, Dad."

The man backed away after ending the hug and took a look at John. "Who's your friend?" Clara's father asked.

Clara took John's hand in hers and said, "Dad, this is Dr. John Smith. My boyfriend."

Clara's father's gaze immediately shot to John. The doctor could almost hear his thoughts about the considerable age difference between himself and his girlfriend. Clearing his throat, John said, "Hello, Mr. Oswald."

There was a brief silence before Clara's father finally smiled. He then patted John on the arm and said, "Call me Dave."

Clara let out a sigh of relief. Dave didn't seem to notice. He turned to his daughter and said, "Well, come with me. There's somebody that I'd like you to meet."

John and Clara followed Dave over to a table. Sitting there was a woman with a rather severe case of what Clara might call 'resting bitch face'. The petite brunette's eyes widened when she saw the woman. Nonetheless, she followed her father to the table and sat down. John, of course, sat down next to his girlfriend. Dave smiled and said, "Clara- and John, I suppose- I'd like you to meet Linda."

Clara forced a smile and said, "It's nice to meet you, Linda."

Linda gave an obviously fake smile and said, "Likewise."

John cleared his throat and said, "I suppose that Dave has a reason for bringing you here."

Dave nodded and said, "Yes, of course. I need to get to that."

The older Oswald took Linda's hand in his and smiled at her. The then looked at Clara and said, "Linda and I are getting married in four months."

All color drained from Clara's face. She cleared her throat and said, "I, ah, need to pop off to the loo for a minute."

John moved aside and allowed his girlfriend to pass. One minute turned to two, and then more. Dave looked at John with a concerned look on his face. The doctor cleared his throat and said, "Ah, I'll go check on her. Be back in a minute."

John then got up and headed over to the lavatories. He knocked on the door to the ladies' room and called out, "Clara? Are you okay in there?"

"I'm fine." Clara said loudly.

"Clara, if something is bothering you, please, tell me." John pleaded.

There was a brief silence before the door opened and Clara exited the ladies' room. She inhaled deeply before exhaling audibly. She looked at John and said, "Do you remember the Siamese breeder I told you about? The one who wanted to kill Simon if someone didn't take him?"

"Of course." John nodded.

"That's her." Clara replied. "Linda is the Siamese breeder who owned Simon's mum. I don't know if she recognizes me since we only spoke through email and we only saw each other once, when I picked Simon up."

John inhaled through his teeth. "That's bad."

"I know." Clara said.

"Maybe she's changed?" John suggested. "Eight years _can_ change a person."

"It is possible." Clara admitted. "What should I do?"

"Give her a chance, at least for a while." John replied. "For your dad's sake and your own. If you decide that you still hate her after a while, you can tell her to kiss your arse and be on your merry way."

Clara snickered and said, "All right, I'll give her a chance- for my dad, not for her."

Clara then stood on her tiptoes and gave John a quick peck on the lips before heading back over to the table where her father and Linda were sitting. The petite teacher and her boyfriend sat down in their seats. "Well, congratulations, you two." Clara forced a smile again.

Linda gave that sweet, sickly fake smile and in an equally sweet voice, said, "One of the reasons that I wanted to meet you before the wedding, Clara, is that I wanted to make you one of my bridesmaids."

Before Clara could respond, Dave said, "Isn't that wonderful? I'm sure that you'll make a wonderful bridesmaid, Clara. John can be your plus-one."

John and Clara both held back a grimace. It seemed that she wasn't being given much of a choice. The petite brunette cleared her throat and said, "Well, I'll do my best."

"Excellent!" David said happily as the waiter arrived. "Now, what does everybody want for drinks? I'm buying!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Clara and John arrived back at their flat, the doctor immediately removed his jacket and loosened his necktie. The young teacher plopped down on the sofa, let out a sigh, and said, "I can't believe this. I can't believe that my dad is getting married."

"Well, he's a single adult, Clara." John replied. "Single adults sometimes get married."

"I know, but why'd he have to get engaged to _that woman_?" Clara asked. "I know that I'm supposed to give her a chance, but I don't know how I'm going to get along with someone who wanted my cat dead at one point in time. How would you feel if someone wanted Missy to die?"

As if on cue, the little Munchkin appeared at Clara's feet and mewed at her, clearly asking to be picked up. John watched with amusement as his girlfriend placed his cat on her lap and began petting her. He, Clara, and Jack were pretty much the only humans that Missy liked. "Clara, if I had a quid for every time someone told me that they wished that my cat would fall out of a tenth-storey window, well, I'd certainly have enough to take you somewhere very nice for dinner." John replied. "She's been called a 'feline Maleficent', and I don't mean the not-entirely-evil Angelina Jolie version."

"I know, I know. Queen of Evil." Clara said. "But what would you do if someone actually _tried_ to throw your cat out of a tenth-storey window?"

John thought about it for a moment. He then replied, "Well, if that happened, either Jack or myself would be in jail for what we would do to anyone who tried to hurt Missy. If _I_ was the one to go to jail, she would become _your_ cat."

"If you were in jail, whose face would she plant her arse on when she wants to be fed at 5 AM?" Clara asked bemusedly. She then realized that the conversation had switched directions and snapped, "Hey! Damn it, John! Don't change the subject!"

John shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

Clara sighed and asked, "What am I going to do, John?"

"Talk to your dad about it." John replied. "He's your dad and he's the one getting married. If you have concerns, bring it up with him."

Clara smiled and said, "All right, I'll do that. It couldn't hurt."

John returned the smile and pulled his girlfriend close in a one-armed hug. He then leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to the top of her head. Things were going to be just fine. After all, how bad could being a bridesmaid possibly be? It was going to be simple.

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It turned out that no, being a bridesmaid was _not_ simple. Linda's demands got crazier with every appointment. She wanted a matcha and mango cake with cinnamon and blueberry buttercream, which sounded atrocious. She wanted the buttercream to be blue and it absolutely _had_ to be with a tropical theme. Nothing would convince her to change her mind. Clara finally decided to call her dad, who said, "Please, just cooperate her. It's her special day and she deserves to have a perfect wedding."

So, Clara bit her tongue and put up with it. For six weeks, she had been fighting the stress until it finally became too much for her. She was having trouble keeping food down because she was vomiting so much from the stress. She couldn't reacall a time when she had been that nauseous. She was exhausted and had actually gained weight. This stress was driving her body crazy. She couldn't wait until the wedding was over.

Clara was currently at the bridal shop, where Linda was picking out dresses for herself and the bridesmaids. The bridesmaid dresses that the bride-to-be picked out were bright, safety orange satin mostrosities, knee length and strapless with poo-brown sashes. They. Looked. Hideous. Clara tried to convince her that there were better options, but Linda just acted like her future step-daughter was being overly dramatic and called Dave. When she handed the phone over to Clara, the exasperated older Oswald said to just cooperate with his fiancee and that he was sure that it would look fine. Resigning to the fact that she would have to wear the ugliest bridesmaid dress in the British Isles, Clara tried her dress on to find that it was a bit tight. She walked out to show Linda, who immediately said, "I thought that you told me the truth about your size."

"This usually _is_ my dress size." An exasperated Clara sighed.

"Well, clearly, you've gained weight." Linda huffed. "I'm not going to get a new dress for you. You're going to have to slim down before the wedding."

Clara could hear the perfect, blonde bridesmaids snicker at her. The teacher bit back a sigh. She was doing this for her dad, she reminded herself. Linda snorted and said, "You need to find a better bra, too."

Clara let out a quiet groan of extreme annoyance. Yes, her breasts _had_ gotten a little bigger recently and were somewhat tender, but that was probably the result of her new birth control pill. It wasn't a _huge_ change, but it was still embarassing when Linda commented so loudly on it. The older woman indicated with her finger that her future step-daughter needed to turn around. "You're going to need to wear heels at the wedding." She held her hands about fifteen centimeters apart. "About this high. Preferably stilettos. You're much too short, compared to the other bridesmaids."

Clara inwardly groaned. Yes, she did wear heels on a semi-regular basis, but fifteen centimeters was asking a _lot_ of a person's feet. She felt another wave of nausia roll through her body. Somehow, she miraculously managed to not throw up on the spot. Stupid wedding. The stress was doing crazy things to her body. She was doing it for her dad, she reminded herself once again. These crazy symptoms would probably stop once the wedding was over and she wasn't so stressed out. If they continued, well, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. It was probably something harmless, she thought dismissively. It was then that Linda spoke again, this time in that sickly sweet voice. "Oh, Clara. Don't worry. You'll look fine in that dress. You'll look just as good as the other bridesmaids after you lose some weight."

Clara held back a sigh. This whole debacle couldn't be over soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2: Hair Nightmare

Chapter 2: Hair Nightmare

Clara was sick and tired of how the stress of the wedding was affecting her. Her nausea had gotten so bad that she was actually starting to lose weight and she was more exhausted than ever. Her breasts had gotten even bigger and she knew that next week, it would be hard to fit in that ugly wedding dress, though for different reasons than before. Eleven weeks down, less than one week to go, she thought. She couldn't wait for it to be over. Linda's demands were getting absolutely insane. She wanted teacup pigs with candles strapped to their backs to wander around the wedding, providing a nice atmosphere. Thankfully, Clara had managed to persuade her to give up that particular plan. Unfortunately, she still had to somehow measure up, so to speak, to her future step-mother's tall, beautiful, extremely blonde bridesmaids whose very presence practically screamed 'cougar'. Clara knew that this whole stress thing was worrying John and that he was concerned about her health. He had suggested that she see her GP about it, but she insisted that she would be fine when the wedding was over. She didn't want him to worry. She had actually insisted that he accept Jack's offer to go to a local pub and watch a game. That left her alone in her flat with just the cats for company. Suddenly, Clara heard her mobile ring. She quickly answered it. "Hello."

Linda's voice oozed from the phone, "Hello, Clara, darling."

Clara bit back a sigh and said, "Hello, Linda."

"I hope that you're doing well. I was wondering if you'd do something for me. The wedding is next week and I was hoping that you would bleach your hair."

"Bleach my what?" Clara blurted.

"Your hair." Linda said. "All of the other bridesmaids are blonde and it would be so wonderful if you all matched."

"Linda..." Clara sighed.

In that fake-sweet tone, Linda said, "Just think about it, okay? I would appreciate it sooooo much!"

Clara held back a growl of frustration and said, "All right. I'll think about it."

The petite teacher then hung up and let out the growl that she was holding back. Linda wanted her to bleach her hair. Her smooth, shiny, beautiful brown hair. Ten years ago, she might have done it, but she had come to appreciate her hair. At a loss for what else to do, Clara dialed her father's number. The dial tone sounded a couple times before the phone was anwsered. "Hello, Clara. How are you doing today?"

Unable to hold back, Clara blurted, "Linda wants me to bleach my hair."

Dave was silent for a moment before saying, "Well, that's not that difficult of a request, is it?"

"Dad, it's my hair!" Clara groaned.

"You can always dye it brown after the wedding." Dave said reassuringly.

"Dad..." Clara sighed.

"Clara, she's not asking for much. Could you please just cooperate with her?" Dave asked.

Clara held back a groan. It was for her dad, she told herself. She finally bit back a sigh and said, "Fine. How hard can it be?"

"Thank you very much." Dave said happily. "You won't regret it!"

"I'm sure that I won't." Clara said sardonically. "I'll see you next week, Dad."

"Bye, sweetheart!" Dave said.

"Bye, Dad." Clara replied before hanging up the phone.

The petite brunette let out a sigh and did a quick Google search for what was needed to bleach one's hair at home. Having found what she needed, she wrote down a list before leaving her flat to head to the appropriate store.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was almost midnight when John got home. He'd had more fun with Jack than he had expected. It was like the good old times again, minus the pansexual doctor chatting up random men, women, and anyone who identified as otherwise. Jack loved his current boyfriend, whom he had been going steady with for a while. Hanging up his coat on the coat rack, John quietly made his way into the flat, trying to make sure that he didn't wake a probably-sleeping Clara. However, as he walked further into the flat, he could hear sobbing. It seemed to be coming from the lavatory. He quietly headed over. The closer he got to the lavatory, the louder the sobbing got. He then realized that the person who was crying was Clara. John didn't hesitate to hurry over to the open door. "Clara, are you alright?" a concerned and somewhat frightened John asked, fearing the worst.

Clara turned to look at him, her face and eyes red from crying. That was the first thing he noticed. The second thing was that her hair was bleached- badly. It was overprocessed to the point that it was ruined. The broken, uneven hair on her head was severely damaged and there was a pile of hair on the floor and clumps of bleached hair in Clara's hands to prove it. The only thing that was untouched was her roots. John knelt down and said, "Oh, Clara."

"I-" Clara tried to say, but she broke into sobs once again.

John took her into his arms, holding her close and stroking her back comfortingly until, slowly, the sobbing and shaking subsided. He released his girlfriend and asked, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I tried to bleach my hair at home." Clara choked out. "Linda wanted me to be blonde for her wedding and Dad said to cooperate and I was doing this to make her happy so he'd be happy."

John mentally cursed his girlfriend's future step-mother. Were it not for her overbearing demands driving Clara to such distress, this wouldn't have happened. She had silky, beautiful brown hair and now it was ruined. John brought a hand to Clara's cheek and stroked it with his thumb. "Tell you what. I'll take you to my hairdresser tomorrow. She'll know what to do."

Clara sniffled before saying, "You go to a hairdresser?"

John chuckled and said, "How else do you think that I learned how to keep my luscious curls looking so good?"

Clara hiccupped and let out a weak laugh. "I'll be surprised if she can fix this."

John smiled at his girlfriend and said, "If anyone can fix it, Rashmi can."

Clara gave her boyfriend a weak smile. The doctor returned the smile and helped his girlfriend to her feet. "Come on." he said. "Let's go to bed. It'll all be better tomorrow."

Clara nodded and followed him to their bedroom. There would be nothing sexual going on tonight. All that happened was John holding her, providing comfort in her time of need.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

John, being his hairdresser's favorite client, managed to get an emergency appointment. Clara saw that the woman was of South Asian descent and very organized. When she saw Clara's hair, she let out an audible gasp. "Oh my goodness!" she said, her voice altered by a slight Indian accent. "John, what happened?"

John grimaced and said, "Her father's future bride coerced her into bleaching her hair."

Clara sniffled and said, "It went terribly, terribly wrong."

"I can see that." the woman said sympathetically.

John brought his arm around Clara, looked at the hairdresser, and asked, "Do you think you can fix it, Rashmi?"

Rashmi gave Clara's hair an appraising look. She then smiled and said, "I'll see what I can do." She gestured towards one of the chairs. "Have a seat, Clara."

Clara sat down in one of the chairs. The hairdresser came over and began to examine her hair. She was doing a very thorough job. Finally, Rashmi spoke. "I have good news and bad news."

"Bad news first." Clara said desperately.

"The bad news is that most of your hair can't be salvaged." Rashmi replied. "It's too badly damaged."

"What's the good news?" Clara asked.

"Everything within two and one-half centimeters of your roots is untouched." Rashmi said. "Those parts aren't damaged at all."

"Can you do anything with it?" Clara asked.

The hairdresser gave her client a comforting smile. "My dear, I am Rashmi Chaudhary. If I can cut John's hair and teach him how to take care of his curls properly after 47 years of chaos, split ends, and frizz," She ignored the sound of protest that John made. "I can make your hair look amazing."

"All right." Clara said with a nod. "I'm putting my hair in your hands."

Clara sat back as Rashmi put a cape on her and worked her skills on the damaged hair. The teacher could feel her hair getting wet, thoroughly soaked. Then came the cutting. Then, she felt something parting her hair. Then came more cutting as Clara felt piece by piece of her horrifically damaged hair fall away from her head. Her head felt lighter and lighter. There was a bit of blow-drying before Rashmi finally declared, "Done."

Rashmi turned the chair so Clara could see in the mirror. The bleached, extremely damaged hair was gone. In fact, most of her hair was gone. She wasn't bald, though. Instead, her hair was cut and styled into a pixie cut. Because it hadn't been bleached, it was the shade of brown that it normally was. She looked over at Rashmi, who declared, "You. Are. Fabulous!"

John walked around the chair to get a look at Clara's new haircut. The petite brunette looked at her boyfriend and asked, "What do you think?"

John smiled and said, "As always, you're beautiful."

"What I mean is," Clara said, "Does it look good?"

"It looks amazing." John replied. "I never thought that I'd see you with sort hair, but it looks good."

Clara looked into the mirror and said, "It really does look good." She looked at Rashmi and asked, "What now?"

"I'll give you a list of products that you'll need and how to care for a pixie cut." Rashmi winked at the shorter woman. "Don't worry. Since you're John's girlfriend, I'll give you a list of things that aren't all that expensive. Just don't tell my boss, okay?"

Clara smiled at the hairdresser and said, "Okay."

Once everything was cleaned up, Clara headed over to pay. It was a bit more expensive than she'd like, but Rashmi had salvaged her hair. Before they left, Clara said, "Thanks, Rashmi."

Rashmi just smiled and said, "Any time."

John smiled at his girlfriend and gave her a quick kiss. Clara looked at her boyfriend and said, "Well, at least I'll look good for the wedding."

John chuckled and said, "You look beautiful no matter what your hair looks like. Linda would be a pudding brain not to appreciate you."

Clara and John left with smiles on their faces. Things were going well, she could tell. She needed something to eat, though. Right now, chocolate ice cream with prawn-flavoured crisps and pickles sounded good.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was the day before the wedding and Clara had to meet with Linda one last time before the wedding. She was horiffically nauseous and had vomited twice on the way over. She was carrying a bottle of water with her and sipping on it. Despite losing a bit of weight, breasts had gotten bigger and her tummy seemed to have grown a teensy bit. It wasn't really noticeable unless someone was really looking. Hopefully, she would still fit in the dress. In another room, she could hear Linda loudly ordering people around. Clara touched her hair, trying to pull together some confidence. She looked really good with a pixie cut, she had decided over the past few days since her haircut. Clara took a deep breath before walking through the doorway. Upon her entrance, Linda immediately noticed her without even looking her. "It's about time you're here, Clara." she said tersely. "Everyone else is here."

Linda then turned around to face Clara. When the older woman saw her, she let out a loud, dramatic gasp. The other bridesmaids looked at her well and also let out dramatic gasps of surprise. Linda's eyes narrowed as she asked in a tight voice, "Clara, what did you do to your hair?"

"It's a pixie cut." Clara explained. "I-"

"You were supposed to have blonde hair!" Linda said angrily. "You were supposed to keep it at its normal length!"

"Something went wrong." Clara tried to explain. "The bleaching-"

"I don't care what your stupid excuse is!" Linda snapped. "Your ugly haircut is going to ruin my wedding! What on earth possessed you to do this?"

It was then that Dave walked in. Linda rushed over to Dave. She pointed at Clara and said, "Look what she did! How could she do this? She's trying to embarrass me at my wedding!"

Dave frowned and said, "Clara, I know that you don't like Linda, but that's no excuse to try to sabotage her."

Linda pointed at Clara and said, "You are out of the bridal party! You are not going to be in any pictures!"

Clara looked at the disappointed expression on her father's face and felt her stomach drop. Linda looked at her soon-to-be husband and said, "Tell her that she's not invited to the wedding anymore!"

Linda then stomped away, leaving Clara and Dave alone. Dave sighed and said, "Clara, why did you do this?"

Clara tried to speak, but no words came out. Dave looked at his daughter and said, "I'm not going to try to make Linda take you back as a bridesmaid. However, you're my only daughter. I can't un-invite you. You're still invited to the wedding." He paused for a moment before adding, "Whether you will be in pictures or not is something I'll have to talk to Linda about. I'll see what I can do."

"Dad..." Clara said softly.

"I can't leave you out of this entirely." Dave said. "You're my daughter. I'll talk to Linda." The older Oswald looked around before looking back at Clara. "You should probably leave for now, though. It'd be best not to make Linda any angrier."

Clara nodded and said, "Okay."

Dave smiled and said, "I'll see you at the wedding."

Clara nodded once again and left. Things had gone so wrong today. She didn't know what she was going to do tomorrow. All that she could do was try to be patient and hope that her dad could salvage the situation.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	3. Chapter 3: At Last

Chapter 3: At Last

Well, Clara thought, it was time to see what happened. It was the day of the wedding. She had just handed the invitation in and was allowed into the venue. She was wearing a plain, emerald green tea-length satin halter dress. John was with her, though his outfit was decidedly a bit more dramatic. He was wearing black skinny-cut trousers and _Doc Martens_, of all things. The dark coat he was wearing had red lining, making him appear more like a magician than a wedding guest. Clara had vomited more times than usual that day. It was definitely the stress. Her dress didn't exactly hide her tummy, despite her best efforts. Clara swallowed and said, "I don't feel so good."

John chuckled and replied, "It's probably because of all the strange food combinations you've been eating. For breakfast this morning, you had jelly babies and pickles on your fried eggs."

Clara nodded and said, "Between that and the stress, you're probably right." She looked ahead and said, "Here we go."

The two were led to the area where the wedding itself would happen. There were plastic chairs that weren't all that ugly and there was a flower-covered arch in front of them. The two sat down and John took Clara's hand in his. The petite brunette looked at her boyfriend, who smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Now they had to wait. Before long, the officiant came to the arch. Not long afterwards, Dave Oswald arrived at the altar. Then came some more waiting before the music started. Everyone turned to look and saw that Linda was being led to her fiance by her brother. The not-so-blushing bride was dressed in the ugliest wedding gown that Clara had ever seen, with an overly poofy skirt and more ruffles than a bag of crisps. Clara looked at her father, who was beaming broadly at his soon-to-be wife. Linda took her place by Dave. The officiant went through a long-winded speech. Then came the exchange of vows, which were equally long-winded. At least Linda seemed to genuinely love her father, Clara thought. The officiant spoke again and the 'I do's' were said. Dave Oswald then leaned forward and pressed his lips to his new wife's. The second that happened, Clara felt an overwhelming wave of nausea. She got up and hurried away, ignoring Linda's screeches of indignation that someone was running away from _her_ wedding. Once Clara found a bin, she emptied her stomach into it. Her body shook as she heaved again into the bin. She suddenly felt a hand on her back. She looked up to see that it was John. "Clara, are you okay?" he asked.

Clara couldn't respond. Seconds later, her father hurried up to her, Linda in tow. The new bride was complaining about how Clara was making a scene, but the teacher couldn't bring herself to care. She felt weak and collapsed. John managed to catch her before guiding her to the ground. Dave looked at her, concerned, and asked, "Clara, do you need to see a doctor?"

Clara swallowed and weakly said, "I'll be fine."

John stroked her back and said, "You've been so sick. I'm not sure that it's because of the crazy things that you've been eating."

The doctor's gaze then lowered. Clara followed the way he was looking and saw that he was looking at her tummy. She could practically hear the gears in his head turning. A look of shocked realization then appeared on his face. He looked Clara in the eyes and blurted, "Oh my god, you're pregnant!"

Clara gasped in surprise. "Pregnant?" She then shook her head and said, "How can I be pregnant? I was on the pill!"

John thought about it for a second. He then said, "It must have been when you were changing birth control. And I might have accidentally grabbed the expired condoms."

Linda let out a snort of disgust and said, "The last thing I need to know is about is _you two_ shagging."

"Linda!" Dave hissed, also embarrassed by the knowledge of his daughter's sex life. Still, the idea of being a granddad excited him. "Clara, do you think that you really _might_ be pregnant?"

Clara looked at her boyfriend, then at her father. "Maybe." she said sheepishly.

"You need to find out soon." Dave said. "There's a shop about ten minutes from here. Will you be back in time for the reception?"

"Dave, this is _our wedding_!" Linda protested.

"They'll be back." Dave said reassuringly.

"Dad, this _is_ your wedding." Clara pointed out.

"Just go." Dave said. "If you don't take too long, I know that you'll be back quickly."

Clara nodded and left with John. The two got into the doctor's car and he drove his car to the shop. Clara quickly located the home pregnancy tests and bought one. She then headed to the ladies' room. Once in the privacy of a stall, she opened the box and read the instructions. A quick wee later, and all she had to do was wait. The three minutes seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Finally, after three long minutes, she looked at the piece of plastic that could potentially change her life. Depicted on the test were two very bold lines. She was pregnant. Immediately, Clara was filled with a bizarre combination of sheer terror and unbridled joy. She had no idea what came next. All she knew was that she absolutely had to tell John. Clara put the test back into the box and slipped it into her purse before leaving the shop. She saw John standing outside of the car with a look of aprehension on his face. He took a deep, deep breath, then exhaled and asked, "What does it say?"

Clara took the box out of her purse and removed the test. She handed it to John, who accepted it with shaking hands. His eyes widened when he saw the results. "You're pregnant." he said dumbly.

Clara nodded nervously, unsure of John's reaction, and said, "Yeah."

The look of fear on John's face suddenly turned to a smile. He let out a joyous laugh, picked Clara up, and spun in a circle before releasing her. He grinned breathlessly and said, "You're pregnant!"

Clara nodded, a smile appearing on her own face. "You're going to be a dad."

John took Clara's face in his hands and pressed a passionate kiss to her lips. He then released her and said, "You're going to be a mum."

A look of apprehension appeared on Clara's face. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

A thoughtful expression formed on John's face as he said, "We can talk about it after the wedding."

Clara nodded and put the test back into the box and back into her purse. She and John then got into the car and drove back to the venue where the wedding was taking place. The bouquet was about to be thrown. When Linda tossed the bouquet, the bridesmaids scrambled to catch it, but it overshot them and essentially landed in Clara's hands. John looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. Clara then looked at her dad, who was grinning broadly at her. He then winked at her and mouthed, "You're next."

Linda, on the other hand, looked slightly miffed. The bridesmaids, however, were shooting death-glares at Clara. The teacher looked at her boyfriend and said, "We should probably stay out of sight for now."

John nodded and said, "If you say so, boss." He looked at the bridesmaids and added, "I don't want to be around those pudding brains, either."

Clara and John then made themselves scarce until it was time for Dave and Linda to cut the cake. The petite teacher waited with apprehension, recalling the type of cake that Linda had wanted. However, instead of a blue cake with a tropical theme, a white cake that was decorated with buttercream roses was wheeled in. The newlyweds appeared and then cut the cake. Linda had the most genuine smile that Clara had ever seen on her as she and her new husband fed each other some cake. Clara could see that the cake itself was green. A few minutes later, it was time for everybody else to have some cake. Clara looked at the cake apprehensively. John looked at her with a curious expression in his face. "Aren't you going to eat that?"

Clara paused before nodding. "It is my dad's wedding cake."

She then took a bite. To her surprise, the cake was not matcha and mango with a cinnamon and blueberry buttercream. It was a matcha cake with a white chocolate buttercream and it tasted absolutely divine. She suspected that her dad had something to do with the changing of the flavors. She set down her purse, not noticing that her dad had his eye on it. Not long afterwards, there was speeches. Many were from people whom Clara did not know. Finally, it was Dave's turn. "I'd like to thank you all for coming to our wedding." he said. "You never think that you'll have a second chance at love, you know? That's what I found when I met Linda. Now here we are, a year and a half later, as husband and wife. It's been a long road and the wedding hasn't been easy. I wouldn't have been able to make it through it without my daughter, Clara. She's my daughter, my friend, and one of the people who makes me aspire to be a better man." He looked at Clara and smiled. "Who knows, maybe she'll be married next?" He looked at John and said, "Hopefully then, I'll get a new son-in-law, because I already know that I'm going to have a new grandchild."

Clara froze and her eyes drifted to her purse. The pregnancy test was still there, but it was no longer in the box. She looked at Linda, who was glaring venomously at her. Dave didn't notice. The subject went back on to Linda, but Clara was horrified at what had happened. After the speeches were done, Linda took Dave aside. Clara followed them. Linda growled at her husband and snapped, "How could you do that? It's our wedding! Couldn't you go five minutes without talking about your daughter? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was to me?"

Clara frowned and said, "She's right, Dad. This is yours and Linda's wedding. It's not about me, John, or our baby. You shouldn't have done that. It was embarrassing to both me _and_ Linda!"

Linda looked at her new step-daughter with a look of surprise on her face. "Clara?" she said with a confused voice.

"Dad, the baby will still be here after the wedding." Clara said. "You two go have fun."

Dave smiled sheepishly and said, "You're right, Clara. I'm sorry. To you and to Linda."

"Go have fun." Clara urged.

Dave smiled and nodded before heading off. Clara looked at Linda, who was standing there awkwardly. "Linda-"

"I'm sorry." Linda blurted.

"What?" Clara was taken aback.

"I've been a real bridezilla, haven't I?" Linda said. "You didn't deserve that."

John bluntly said, "You were kind of a bitch to her."

"John!" Clara hissed.

Linda wrung her hands together and said, "I know. I know. It was..."

"Wedding-itis?" Clara provided. "I hope that you're not as bad as you seemed during the wedding and preparations."

Linda laughed and said, "No, at the best of times, I can be kind of a bitch. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, though. I'm..." She cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry."

Clara was silent for a moment. She then said, "I need you to apologize for another thing."

"What?" Linda inquired.

"My cat, Simon." Clara replied. "He was the Siamese-Maine Coon kitten that your Siamese, Precious Jewel, gave birth to. You said that you would have had him killed if someone didn't take him."

Linda squirmed uneasily. "Oh. That." She let out a deep sigh. "After Precious Jewel died, I've been thinking about that a lot." She looked at Clara and asked, "Is he happy?"

Clara nodded. "He's very happy. He's smart, friendly, and the best cat I've ever had."

Linda smiled and said, "Good. Sounds like he really was Precious Jewel's kitten. I'm glad that he turned out okay."

Clara nodded and said, "I'll tell him. Now, go enjoy your wedding."

Linda smiled and said, "Thank you, Clara."

The new bride gave her step-daughter what was probably the shortest and most awkward hug of her life. She then smiled at Clara and left to find Dave.

After the wedding, most of the people had left. Just Linda, Dave, John, and Clara were there. The doctor looked at his girlfriend and smiled. "Some wedding, huh?" he said.

"Yeah." Clara replied. "Everything turned out okay."

John shifted uneasily and said, "Now that the wedding is over, there's something that I've been wanting to ask you since I moved in."

"No, we're not getting another cat." Clara laughed.

"No, it's not that," John said. "It's something else."

The doctor then got down on one knee. Clara's mouth fell open in shock. John reached into his pocket and pulled out a box, opening it to reveal a ring. "Clara Oswald, will you marry me?"

Clara gasped, along with another female voice. She turned to see Linda. The older woman smiled at her and said, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Clara turned to John and grinned broadly. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

Dave put an arm around Linda, trying his hardest not to cry. Proposals always got to him. Linda looked at the expression on her husband's face and rolled her eyes. She gave John a stern look and said, "You had better take care of my step-daughter and my grandchild, John. If you think that I'm a bitch now, just wait until I'm _really_ angry."

"She's right." Dave said. "When she's really mad, she can be a bitch."

"Dad!" Clara protested.

Linda rolled her eyes and said, "You still love it, though."

Dave grinned and said, "Yeah, I do."

The newlyweds then embraced each other and exchanged a brief kiss. John smirked at Clara as they walked away and said, "One day, that's going to be us."

Clara rolled her eyes and said, "Please. I'm not _that_ much of a bitch."

John's eyes widened. "I just realized something."

"What?" Clara asked.

"_Linda_ is going to be my mother-in-law." John said grimly. "This might be Reddit fuel."

"I heard that!" Linda called out in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"What is a Reddit?" Dave asked loudly.

Linda chuckled and put her arm around her husband. "I'll tell you when we get home."

When the newlyweds left, the newly-engaged couple looked at each other and smiled. Clara took John's hand in hers and gave it a quick squeeze. "Well," John said, "what do we do next?"

"We'll be busy." Clara replied as she headed to the car. "We have a lot of planning to do."

John chuckled and said, "Indeed."

Clara smiled as she buckled herself in and said, "That, too. To think, all of this started with a blind date. I don't know who to thank."

"Don't thank Jack." John said, his voice very serious. "He'll be insufferably proud of himself for at least a week."

"We could always name the baby Jack." Clara suggested with a wink.

John gave Clara a mock-angry look and said, "Don't you even dare."

"Fine." Clara mock-sighed. "Let's just go home and spoil our cats."

"I can't say no to that." John chuckled. "We also have a wedding to plan."

Clara smirked and said, "I call final veto."

John rolled his eyes and said, "Control freak."

Clara laughed and said, "You know you love it."

John couldn't argue with that. He had a beautiful fiancee. He had an awesome life. Soon, he would have a beautiful child and a perfect wife. Not that the would ever thank Jack, but none of this would be possible if he hadn't set him up on that blind date.

_The End_


End file.
